The Lioness
by gavriellion
Summary: Gavriel x OC set after the war.
1. Chapter 1

This is set AFTER the war and the happy ending to the series that we BETTER GET. Enjoy!

Dedicated to underthe-mountain because she loves Gavriel as much as me.

 **PART I**

"Rowan you don't even know this female," Gavriel muttered in annoyance as he walked alongside Rowan through the castle. "You know nothing about her, Aelin didn't even give you a name. For all we know she could be an enemy."

"I'm well aware," Rowan murmured. "Believe me I have my reservations just as much as you do."

Rowan came to a stop just outside of the throne room doors, halting Gavriel as well.

"I trust Aelin, and I know you do as well," he said quietly, knowing his queen could most likely hear them through the door. "Trust her on this."

"We leave for two weeks and come back to a complete stranger being brought into our court," Gavriel retorted – respectfully, but firmly. "Does that not sound suspicious to you? This woman shows up when the King and all but one of the Queen's blood sworn are gone?"

"Of course I'm suspicious," Rowan snapped. "Which is why we're going to observe her now and give Aelin our opinion." He paused. "Our _honest_ opinion."

Gavriel sighed through his nose, locking eyes with his king. That was still an odd thing for him, that Rowan was his king now. No matter that the war with Erawan and Maeve had ended years ago and the Kingdom was relatively stable and peaceful now. He looked at Rowan and saw his blood-sworn brother still. And in some ways, that fact hadn't changed – they were still blood sworn to the same queen and so technically still brothers. But Rowan was also his king and the dominance in his brother's stare said as much.

"Of course," Gavriel finally conceded, nodding his head.

Rowan returned the gesture and reached for the door only for it to open before he touched the handle.

"It's about time you returned, you buzzard."

Gavriel fought to hide his groan of annoyance when Aelin leapt into Rowan's arms and kissed him deeply. He took a step back and found his shoes suddenly interesting. When they finally – _finally_ – broke apart, Aelin turned to Gavriel with her arms still locked around Rowan's neck.

"Hello again, Uncle Kitty-Cat. Was your trip to Adarlan successful?"

"Yes. Dorian sends his regards," he said with a small bow.

Aelin only snorted. "You know you don't have to bow to me, Gavriel. I think we're on friendly enough terms now."

Before he could respond, Aelin pulled away from Rowan and strutted back into the throne room without another word. The two males looked at each other, Rowan with a shit-eating grin and Gavriel with his semi-permanent expression of resignation.

"Well come on then!" Aelin shouted. "I have someone for you to meet!"

The two males trailed into the throne room after Aelin. They only took about five steps before Gavriel lunged to the left and pulled his sword out all in one smooth motion. He was up and ready to strike at the very same moment the dagger thrown at him buried in the door frame – as was Rowan.

A low whistle sounded through the throne room. Gavriel followed the sound with his eyes to the wooden rafters just above the massive throne Aelin was now draped across. Even with his fae sight, the shadows hid the stranger's face. Their body was distinctly female though, hanging similarly to how Aelin was sitting.

"Cat-like reflexes indeed," the stranger drawled.

"And now you see why Uncle Kitty-Cat is an even more fitting nickname," Aelin replied with a grin. "Oh put your swords away," she said in annoyance to the males.

Gavriel and Rowan hesitated, but complied.

"Aelin," Rowan said in a low tone that usually meant violence was on the way. "Who might this be and why is she throwing knives at her king?"

"To be fair," the female started, hopping down from the tall rafters smoothly. Her hood was still up so they couldn't see her face. "I was throwing my knife at that one." She pointed at Gavriel with yet another knife and he couldn't help but let loose a growl from deep within his chest. The female turned to him in surprise and he saw a flash of teeth.

"My apologies though," the female said quickly. "I meant no disrespect."

"Funny way of showing it," Gavriel growled. "An act like that could get you killed where you stand, but since I have a feeling Aelin put you up to it..."

The three turned toward Aelin.

"What – _me_?" She asked with mock innocence. "I would never–"

"Fireheart."

"Okay yeah I put her up to it." Aelin hopped off of the throne with a roll of her eyes, striding over to the female and looping their arms together. "Only because Maya here is the best damn knife thrower I have ever met – aside from myself of course – and I wanted her to show off a bit to impress you boys." She looked up at Maya and frowned. "Oh take your hood off and quit trying to be so mysterious, honestly."

Aelin tugged Maya's hood back and Gavriel could hardly contain the breath he felt get knocked from his chest. The female was stunning. She had a rich, russet-brown complexion coupled with bright hazel eyes. Her face was round and full, framed by the mass of tight black curls set loose from the confines of her hood.

Most stunning though was the smile. Her smile was free, unrestrained. Something Gavriel so rarely saw in the mirror and couldn't look away from now.

"Mysterious is my middle name," Maya spoke, pulling Gavriel's attention back.

"The irony right is that I actually _don't_ know your middle name," Aelin mused.

"Aelin." Rowan was annoyed now, and Gavriel looked up at his king to see him borderline fuming. "We would like some answers about who this is and why exactly you would like her in our court."

Aelin huffed and rolled her eyes, but Maya had the good sense to look a bit frightened of her king in that moment. Or perhaps not frightened, but intimidated.

"Do you remember all of those delinquents we kept finding dead in the alleyways starting a few months ago?" Aelin asked.

Gavriel and Rowan both nodded. Gavriel remembered it well, he had been the one sent out several times to investigate the crimes. Demi-fae and humans alike had been slaughtered in the streets of Terrasen at night, only for it to be found later that those who were killed had been criminals themselves. And criminals of the worst kind.

"Well Lysandra and I were out and about the other night just meandering around and we may or may not have been waiting for our assassin vigilante to show themselves. We managed to catch them in action saving a barmaid from a group of men. I managed to catch up with the individual and ask to get to know them. Maya here may be a little better than me when it comes to knives, but I run faster than her."

Gavriel turned to Maya. "You?"

Maya gave a small smile, but said nothing.

"Turns out our Maya here was living on the streets as well. I brought her back here, got to know her, saw her fighting skills and deemed her worthy of our court." She turned to Rowan. "She has also been approved by Lysandra, Aedion, Elide, and even Lorcan. She's yet to meet Fenrys or Connall, but I'm sure they'll love her as well. Oh, and Evangeline adores her of course."

Maya looked down at the ground pursing her lips as Aelin talked. Gavriel watched her intently. She was confident, that much was clear from the way she swaggered about in a startlingly similar way to Aelin when he and Rowan had first come in, but she was also reserved in a way that Aelin wasn't. She didn't want to be recognized for her noble actions. Her confidence and humility coupled.

"She has a good heart and a good throwing arm and I want her in my court," Aelin said plainly. "But I won't make any decisions without you," she added in a softer tone to Rowan.

Rowan stared at his mate and wife for a few seconds before taking a deep breath and turning to Maya.

"I would like to take a week," he said politely, but surely. "A week to see how you fit in with everyone, including the rest of the blood sworn. You will train with us every day with both your magic and other fighting skills. Then Aelin and I will discuss again and we will decide."

Maya gave a small bow to which Aelin scoffed.

"Thank you," she said with genuine gratitude. "And sorry for the... you know, throwing the knife at you and all that."

She turned to Gavriel with those words and gave a small shrug as if to say, ' _what can you do_?' Gavriel couldn't help but chuckle.

Aelin and Rowan whipped their heads around to look at him. Gavriel never laughed – or very rarely laughed. Certainly not with someone he had just met.

Maya on the other hand just smiled back at him. A smile that he had a feeling he wasn't going to grow tired of anytime soon.


	2. Chapter 2

**PART II**

Gavriel headed towards Aelin and Rowan's private dining hall later that night not knowing what to expect. Granted, he never knew what to expect at these gatherings – family dinners as Aelin referred to them. But he certainly didn't know what to expect showing up twenty minutes late. Normally he was very punctual, especially when it came to spending time with the court – his family – but their trip to Adarlan had been exhausting and full of politics. And Gavriel would rather fight a group of ilken than play nice with courtiers on any given day.

So as soon as he and Rowan had left Aelin and Maya earlier in the day he had double checked on Aedion (busy with Lysandra of course) before retreating to his own chambers and promptly falling asleep. He had woken up when a servant (sent by a very annoyed Aelin, if the boy's expression was any indication) had asked him to join the court in the dining hall as soon as he felt obliged to do so.

Taking a deep breath, he opened the door to the dining hall expecting Aelin's sass to hit him full force.

What he didn't expect though was for his late entrance not to be noticed at all as the entire court all laughed hysterically – laughed at Maya, who was obviously in the middle of dramatically telling a story.

Her hands were flying all around her as she spoke, black curly hair bouncing with her movements. Those hazel eyes were bright, complimented by her wide smile. Gavriel felt like he'd been sucker punched. His feet were glued to the spot.

"So I'm hiding in the turret and these guards are scared out of their minds, right?" Maya continued her story, every person at the table leaned in towards her and completely enraptured. "I have absolutely no escape route, all of my knives are gone, and I'm supposed to walk out of there with four bags full of gold."

"What did you do?" Fenrys asked, his chin propped on both hands like a child.

"Well I had to roll with it," Maya said as if it were obvious. "I had already completely committed to the character. So I just dove back down into that chest resonance and yelled, 'I, Estis, Goddess of the Night, command you to leave this place!'"

Everyone cackled as Maya took on a deep, loud, wildly exaggerated voice and shouted across the hall. The corner of Gavriel's lips tugged upward.

"The stones in the turret made the sound echo like crazy, and I spat out a few other stupid lines as Estis and the guards just completely panicked," Maya said through her own laughter. "A few minutes later and they had all scattered – convinced that Estis was coming for them. I grabbed the gold and strolled right out the front door."

They all broke down into laughter again and it was actually Maya who finally noticed Gavriel standing at the doors just watching them all.

"Oh. Hi," she said brightly, causing everyone to quiet and look over at him as well.

"Well, well, well," Aelin drawled, and Gavriel didn't even try to hide the good-natured roll of his eyes as he walked over to sit by Aedion. "Look who finally deigned to show up to family dinner."

"You seemed to be doing alright without me," he said quietly, glancing up at a still smiling Maya sitting right across from him. "That was some story you were telling."

Maya just chuckled, pushing her thick curly hair behind her ear only for it to fall right back out. "Nah, these guys are just a good audience."

"Maya here just told us all about herself," Aelin said as she leaned back in her chair. "If you had deemed us worthy enough of your punctuality perhaps you would have gotten to hear the whole story of how she successfully stole back all of the dirty tax money in Banjali ten years ago and gave it back to those it had been taken from."

Gavriel stared at Maya in surprise only for a faint blush to stain her cheeks and the smile to dim. She chuckled awkwardly.

"I mean if you want to put it that way, sure. I think the more apt description though is that I committed severe blasphemy in order to save my own skin," she said, pushing the good-natured attention away from herself. She glanced at Gavriel for a mere second before turning away.

"I doubt the people of Benjali think of it that way," Rowan said lowly. Maya just shrugged. It was clear she had no desire to be seen as a hero.

"What were you doing in Benjali anyway?" Elide asked a few seats down from Maya where she was leaning on Lorcan's arm.

"Yeah I thought you said you grew up outside the Bogdano Jungle?"

So certainly not from Terrasen then, Gavriel thought to himself.

"There... aren't many fae around the Western Wastes," Lorcan mused.

Maya was quiet for a moment, her smile dropping and her eyes dimming considerably. A weight seemed to press on the table.

"No," she finally said with a pained, yet determined smile. "No there aren't."

The silence returned, only interrupted by Elide smacking Lorcan's arm and telling him to think before he speaks. Maya only chuckled and waved it off.

"It's fine, honestly," she said kindly. "I sincerely doubt I'm the only person here with a tragic backstory. Right?"

Everyone looked around at one another.

Maya laughed. "That's what I thought."

"Tell us another story!" Evangeline suddenly cried.

"Evangeline, don't pester her," Lysandra chided.

"Oh come on," Aedion said, leaning back and looking over Evangeline's head at Lysandra. "We all want to hear another story, so do you. Maya here has lived quite the adventurous life it seems. And she does still need to impress all of us so that Aelin and Rowan will deem her worthy to join our court." He flashed Maya a grin only for her to shrug her shoulders good-naturedly, raising her wine to her lips.

"Not to mention my father here didn't even get to hear her story about–"

Maya spit her drink out all over the table.

Fortunately for Gavriel, the table was wide enough that none of the wine landed on him, but the plate of chicken in front of Maya hadn't been so fortunate. Aelin and Fenrys cackled hysterically while Maya coughed and tried to catch her own breath.

"I'm sorry," she spluttered, wiping her face with a napkin and pointing at Aedion and Gavriel. "Did you say father?" She looked between the two and her gaze landed on Gavriel. "You're his father?"

The corners of Gavriel's lips twitched upwards. "I know my young face may lead you to believe we're brothers, but yes, I am his father," he replied coolly.

Down the table, all the former members of the cadre noted a light in Gavriel's eyes that they hadn't seen in a very long time.

"Holy gods," Maya muttered, completely stunned. "I'm sorry, that just... caught me off guard."

"Clearly," Connall snorted, gesturing to the plate in front of her. "Sorry Gavriel, looks like you won't be eating any chicken tonight."

Gavriel only smirked, meeting Maya's eyes. "It was never my favorite anyway."

Lies.

"The, uh," Maya stuttered, tearing her eyes away from Gavriel's. "The dynamic of your court is still a bit confusing," she finally said slowly, looking at Aelin and Rowan. "I know everyone's roles, it's just the connections between you all that are a bit hazy."

Aelin snorted. "You don't know the half of it. All of the tall brooding males aside from Aedion used to be in Maeve's cadre together before picking the better, more beautiful queen."

All of said males snorted at the same time.

"Lysandra and I used to despise one another when I was still Celaena. Rowan is my carannam, husband, _and_ mate. And Elide knew Aedion and I when we were children and ended up running into Lorcan when he still wanted to kill me," Aelin said matter of factly. "Oh, Lorcan is also the one that got me locked in an iron coffin one time."

"You were barely there for a day," Lorcan muttered, only for Elide to smack him in the back of the head. Aelin was about to retort when Maya spoke back up.

"I was in the Anascul Mountains when I heard about that," she said a bit too quietly. "I had been heading towards the Ruins of Morla and ran across a group of humans. They said the Queen of Terrasen had been buried alive in a coffin made of iron."

Aelin's smirk was gone. It had taken her months to regain her smile after finally killing Maeve and escaping her clutches, but the memories still held weight. Rowan took her hand under the table.

"I wish I had known you then," Maya continued. "But even then I think a part of me knew that you would always beat Maeve."

Aelin cocked her head to the side. "Why?"

"Well even the smallest flame pierces through the blackest darkness."

Aelin froze. A few seconds passed before her pearly white teeth showed themselves again, flames dancing in her eyes.

"Oh I like you," she said with a grin that was borderline feral.

Maya returned that grin with equal ferocity.

"Gods help us all," Fenrys muttered as he threw back his entire goblet of wine.

Over the next hour or so, most of the court had excused themselves – couples mainly, going back to their rooms for the night since the cadre had been in Adarlan for the past two weeks.

Maya however, had obliged Evangeline's incessant requests to hear more stories of her adventures and Fenrys and Gavriel had been gracious enough to stay with her while Aedion and Lysandra retreated to their chambers for the night.

It did not go unnoticed by Maya that both males were equally as captivated as Evangeline was and the young girl was more than capable of finding her way back to her room at night on her own.

"So I ran as fast as I could–"

"You didn't kill it?" Fenrys interrupted incredulously, the entire upper half of his body leaning over the table.

"She tried to kill it but then it started running after her," Evangeline huffed with an eye roll, looking over at Fenrys with a distinctly Aelin-esque expression. "Aren't you even listening?"

"Yes Fenrys," Gavriel drawled with a smirk. "Aren't you even listening?"

Fenrys shot him a vulgar gesture behind Evangeline's back. Maya giggled and Gavriel's smirk was soon replaced with a warm, more genuine smile.

"Anyways," she continued with a grin. "I'm running as fast as I can, but the rocks are falling all around me because the beast roared so loudly it shook the entire mountain."

"Gods, woman," Fenrys huffed.

"How was I supposed to know the temple was protected by some giant rat-like creature three times my size?" Her voice rose in pitch. "But I'm running down the mountain and I realize that there is no way I'm making it out alive – I'll either be crushed by a falling rock or eaten by whatever that... thing was."

"Do not tell Lysandra this story," Gavriel murmured with a barely repressed shudder.

"So I stop in my tracks. I turn around and face the creature."

The trio held their breath.

"And I look up right as a rock the size of this table is falling down over my head and I just... raise my hands. And it stops."

Her voice had dropped in pitch and anticipation was thick in the air between them. None of the three across from her could take their eyes off of the female as she stared off into space, her bright eyes twinkling with the memory.

"And it was as if that missing puzzle piece inside of me just... snapped into place. I had been working for years to access my magic and there it was, right above me. And all around me. And beneath my feet."

A small, barely noticeable thrum of power emanated as she spoke, her voice thick with emotion. But Gavriel noticed, shivering.

"I could feel the earth... everywhere. Each and every clump of dirt and rock and tree branch – I could _feel_ it. I was a part of it, and it a part of me." She took a deep breath, blinking her silver-lined eyes a couple of times. "And there it was. My magic. I think I may be one of the only fae in existence that took literal decades just to figure out their abilities. But once I did, it consumed me. Everything clicked into place – the reason I travelled so much, the reason I couldn't stand to be cooped up or in one place for so long. The ground itself called me and I couldn't help but follow." She paused, furrowing her brow in thought. "I've met fae who can control wind, water, fire, light, darkness, ice. But I've never met anyone else like me."

She raised her eyes to Gavriel and Fenrys in silent question. They both shook their heads. A defeated, yet unsurprised sigh escaped her lips.

In that moment, she looked so... lonely. Gavriel studied the way her eyes dimmed, the very color in her cheeks receding. She had only given bits and piece of her life – though Aelin surely knew more – and none of them quite connected to fill in the hundreds of questions plaguing his mind.

How old was she? Where was she born? Where was her family? How did she end up a vigilante on the streets of Terrasen? Where did she learn her fighting skills? Who trained her in her rare magic?

Evangeline however, asked the important question.

"What happened to the creature?" She burst out, palms flat on the table in expectation.

"Oh!" Maya started. Gavriel and Fenrys chuckled, the latter ruffling the girl's hair – much to her discontent. "Well as soon as I got a hold of the rock with my magic I just hurled it at the creature with all I had in me. It hit him right in the middle of his ugly rat face and he went tumbling off the side of the mountain."

A small bit of pride leaked into her eyes, but was quickly replaced with her ever present humility as she shrugged and looked down.

"It was luck, honestly. Not to mention that right after that I lost the hold on my magic and still got pelted with about five rocks before just barely making it out."

"Woah," Evangeline whispered, staring up at her in awe.

"Woah indeed," Fenrys matched her tone.

Gavriel only smiled lightly, missing the way Maya's eyes lingered on him as he turned to Evangeline. "I believe you might need to be getting on to bed, little one."

"'M not tired," she said through a yawn.

"Sure you're not," Fenrys said as he hopped up and picked Evangeline up out of her chair. He plopped her up on his shoulders and she quickly laid her chin down on folded hands atop his head. "I'll take her up," he said to Gavriel. "And you," he turned to Maya with his award winning, dazzling smile that no doubt had her heart racing. "I will see you tomorrow at training. Bright and early. Shirts not necessary," he added with a wink.

Gavriel rolled his eyes so hard it hurt.

Maya, however, only gave him a smile of her own in return.

"Are egos necessary though? Because if not then I would love it if you left yours in your chambers tomorrow."

Gavriel's jaw dropped with an audible pop. Fenrys's eyes only widened in delighted surprise.

"Oh you're going to fit in perfectly around here. Come on then Evangeline, we have to go check our egos."

"G'night Gavriel, goodnight Maya," Evangeline murmured through sleep addled eyes.

Gavriel and Maya chuckled as Fenrys left the room, treading softly and without his usual swagger so as not to disturb Evangeline – who was no doubt already asleep atop his shoulders.

"She's beautiful," Maya said quietly. Gavriel became acutely aware that only the two of them were left in the room. "Aelin said that Evangeline was with Lysandra back in Rifthold. Did she and Aedion sort of... adopt her after everything?"

Gavriel nodded. "Aedion and Lysandra are more her parents than anyone has ever been or ever will be. We all take care of her though."

Maya crossed her arms and walked towards the balcony where a slight breeze was blowing. Gavriel's feet trailed after her like a puppet on a string.

"Aedion seems to be really good with her," she remarked, leaning her forearms against the stone railing. "I'm guessing he learned by example from you?"

Maya's teasing smile fell at the same time all the light drained from Gavriel's face.

"Oh gods, I said something wrong, didn't I?" She said. "I'm so sorry. I knew I should have asked Aelin more questions about all of you, I just–"

"It's fine," Gavriel said hoarsely. He swallowed thickly before speaking, looking out at the night sky as Maya watched him carefully, silently. "I was blood sworn to Maeve when I met Aedion's mother. She asked me to leave when she found out she was pregnant and... I complied without any fight. I would have done anything she asked. She was afraid that Maeve would try and lay claim to Aedion, so she never told anyone about him being my son. Not even me."

There was a pregnant pause.

"When did you meet him?" Maya asked, her soft voice full of compassion and empty of judgment.

"Only two years ago. A few months before Maeve was killed."

Gavriel took a deep breath. Maya only waited patiently, knowing he wasn't quite done yet.

"I missed 24 years of his life," he almost whispered. "24 years where he was brutalized, taken advantage of, called Adarlan's Whore." He spit the name like a curse. "He had to watch his mother die alone."

"None of that was your fault."

"Wasn't it though? I never went back. I know she asked me to leave, but I gave up too easily. I gave up on her, and in turn I gave up on my son."

"You two seem to get along well now."

"We fare alright," he conceded. "It wasn't like that in the beginning though. The first time I ever saw him he told me he wanted nothing to do with me. And the worst part was that I couldn't even blame him."

Maya was silent and he could feel her watching him intently as if she were peering into his very soul. He felt more vulnerable under her gaze than he had felt in a very long time. Finally she looked away and up at the stars.

"When I was thirteen," her voice broke through the tense silence like a beautiful, sorrowful melody. "A group of bandits attacked my small village. My mother and father were pacifists, you could say. They didn't believe in fighting, they only wanted to travel and live. So when those fae who had been trained from birth to kill and destroy came after us... they knew they couldn't save me. So they told me to run. Run as fast as I could and never stay in one place too long. I was so afraid, I... I didn't even question it. Or say goodbye. I turned and ran. I ran and ran until I reached the highest mountain top and only then did I stop. I looked down at the valley and saw it all burning. Everything I knew was gone just like that."

She paused, inhaling a shaky breath. "And that was the first time I thought to myself, why didn't I fight? Why did I give up and run? Why did I let my parents give up instead of dragging them with me?"

Looking up, hazel eyes met tawny ones, pain and suffering and regret like a living thread between them.

"I have asked myself those questions every day of my life and I always will," she whispered. "Sometimes we give up. And it can destroy us. But sometimes you need to be leveled in order to become something new."

Gavriel couldn't have looked away even if he had wanted to.

"Who are you?" He whispered.

Maya only smiled.

"Something new."


	3. Chapter 3

**PART III**

"Well. This isn't intimidating at all."

Maya's eyes were wide but unafraid as the five fae males stood around her in a semicircle.

A semicircle where they were all _very shirtless_.

It was only Maya's determination and will forged over centuries in some of the most dangerous places in Erilea - and elsewhere - that kept her eyes on Aedion, Lorcan, Rowan, Fenrys, and Gavriel's faces rather than their toned abs and hulking biceps and midnight black tattoos -

"There's no need to be intimidated." Rowan's deep baritone with his rich Terrassen accent brought Maya back to the present. "This is only a small training session to see where your abilities lie. And to see if you can keep up with us."

Maya believed that the small hint of doubt in his voice wasn't due to the fact that she was a female (he was married and mated to Aelin Galathynius after all), but more that she came across as very young and likely inexperienced compared to their level of fighting.

How wrong they were.

"Lucky for you," Fenrys drawled as he shoved past Gavriel and sauntered up to Maya. Gavriel only rolled his eyes. "Our benevolent king said that I could be in charge of your training today. Something about how I have grown so much in my emotional maturity, strength, sexual prowess-"

"Oh shut it, boyo," Lorcan grumbled as he grabbed Fenrys's shoulder and hauled him back. Fenrys yelped before loosing a growl, which made Maya giggle.

Gavriel could have died right then and there.

"What Fenrys means is that he pestered Rowan until he broke so now he gets to direct you while _we_ make sure he doesn't get himself killed," Aedion deadpanned.

"Duly noted," Maya replied as Fenrys loosed yet another growl. But a glare from Gavriel over Aedion's shoulder had him toning it down.

"I'll have you know," Fenrys drawled as he looked back over at Maya while his brothers rolled their eyes. "That I am more than capable of leading your training. I'm also more than capable of other things if you're ever interested-"

"Fenrys if you don't keep your cock in your pants we aren't going to get anything done," Rowan snarled, his annoyance foregoing his tendency to avoid vulgarity in front of such an audience.

"Shouldn't be too difficult considering how small it is." Lorcan chuckled darkly.

Fenrys and Lorcan set to bickering again and Maya only rolled her eyes as she unwrapped a leather strap from around her wrist. Gavriel seemed to be the only one paying full attention to her as she painstakingly tied her mass of curls back away from her face.

The others only quit talking when she cleared her throat delicately.

"Look," she deadpanned. "I know that none of you really know me. And I know that you may truly think that you're going to teach me some valuable skills and who knows, you might." The males looked on with confusion and curiosity as she lifted each of her legs up and took off her boots before tossing them behind her. Her toes dug into the earth beneath her. "But I think I should make it clear for your sakes that I'm not going to go easy on you."

" _You're_ not going to go easy on _us_?" Aedion asked incredulously.

"That's correct," Maya replied with a smile that would have brought any other male to his knees. "Aelin is the first leader I have ever found even the slightest bit worthy of pledging my allegiance to, so I would like to impress her. And while I briefly considered stroking your egos a bit-"

Rowan choked.

"I decided that... well... I don't really want to do that." A shrug of her shoulders had the males staring at her with their mouths open. She only smiled brighter. "So now I guess I really just need to know if we're going to be using magic today or not."

A silence spread throughout the group.

"Why?" Fenrys finally asked, his tone indicating he was more than a little worried about the answer.

"Well if we're using magic then I'm going to beat you into the dust in a matter of seconds," she said plainly. "But if we're not using magic," she continued, "Then I'm still likely going to beat you into the dust, but at least you'll make me work for it."

The killing calm was practically oozing into the atmosphere from everyone in attendance. Lorcan was the first to speak.

"Do you have any idea who we are, girl?"

"Oh I've heard all the stories. Maeve's cadre was legendary all across Erilea. Especially with the groups I tended to run with."

Rowan opened his mouth to speak, about a dozen valid questions on his lips, but Maya trudged ahead.

"However I think you'll find that the question you need to be asking isn't if I know who _you_ all are, but rather if you really have any idea who _I_ am."

The males went dead silent. Gavriel could only watch and wait for the next move as Maya smirked in a way that promised... not violence, but... frustration perhaps.

"How old are you?" Rowan suddenly asked.

Maya cocked her head to the side and briefly considered not telling him. It would only bring up more questions that she didn't need them asking anytime soon. But then she remembered that she was trying to become one of Aelin's blood sworn and that meant this was going to be her _king_. But even if he weren't, Rowan's stare was a bit unnerving even for her.

"863."

"Holy gods," Fenrys spluttered.

"Impossible," Lorcan snapped. "An 863 year old pure-blooded Fae with powers like you seem to be bragging about? Maeve would have found you centuries ago."

"Who's to say she didn't?" Maya snapped back with equal bite.

"What?" Gavriel asked, speaking for the first time that morning.

Maya whipped her head around to him and blanched, realizing her mistake.

"Does Aelin know about all of this?" Aedion suddenly asked.

"She knows that I'm older than all of you," Maya said with a shrug. "The rest of it she knows in bits and pieces."

"Honestly Rowan," Lorcan turned towards his king incredulously, dismissing Maya entirely. "This is ridiculous. I was on board with this when Aelin told me about her. The gods know that we need a woman in the blood sworn by now. And I could forego a lack of information when I thought that at least our _queen_ knew the girl's background. Now you're expecting me to give her a stamp of approval when it turns out we don't know a damn thing about her?"

"You know I'm standing right here," Maya huffed.

"800 years old, a magic like no other fae any of us have seen, and she had connections to Maeve?" Lorcan continued. "Why the hell is she still within a mile of our queen?"

"I would never hurt Aelin," Maya snapped with a hiss. "And you know nothing about my connections to Maeve so don't go making assumptions, Hellas-blessed."

Lorcan paled, his eyes widening. Rowan loosed a growl of warning but he stepped right up to Maya's face anyways.

"How the hell do you know that?" He asked in the darkest voice Maya had ever heard. Everyone there knew that no one in Aelin's court would have shared that information about Lorcan without his permission.

To her credit, Maya was completely unafraid as she craned her neck back to meet Lorcan's deadly gaze. The four other males however were all on edge, diving into their magic and reaching for their weapons as the two stood almost chest-to-chest. The raw power radiating from Lorcan and Maya was almost suffocating.

Maya's magic however felt...different. Off. The males pushed that aside for now.

"I have more than a few tricks up my sleeve," Maya whispered. "I would have thought you'd have seen that what with Hellas whispering sweet nothings in your ear-"

Gavriel shouted at the same time that Lorcan lunged.

But in the end there had been no need. In a span of just two seconds Lorcan had gone from reaching for Maya's throat with one hand and his dagger with the other to being thrown at least fifty feet across the clearing as the very ground beneath him flung him backwards before he could even touch the female.

Lorcan hit the ground in a heap on his stomach, groaning as he pushed himself up a few moments later.

The other males slowly turned their gazes from Lorcan back to Maya, who gracefully lowered her hand as she brought the earth back to its normal level. Her eyes were dark, her brown cheeks flushed. Where a smile had been gracing her features was now a tense jaw and complete concentration. The other males stayed on guard, Gavriel's heart beating at the same fast rate the others' were.

Suddenly Maya took a deep breath and stood up even straighter. Her eyes lightened once again and she met Gavriel's gaze.

"Well? Who's next?"

* * *

In the end, Maya didn't fight anyone else. Rowan had stalked off without another word (to find Aelin, no doubt) and Lorcan had done the same - but not without giving Maya an appreciative glance - a glance of respect from one warrior to another.

Fenrys, Aedion, and Gavriel didn't think it quite appropriate to continue with the training when it became clear that there were more variables at play than they had previously thought. Aedion disappeared to find Lysandra, and Fenrys mumbled some half-hearted excuse as he stared at Maya with an expression that was half awe and half terror. She tried to call out to him as he backed away but then he vanished into one of his pockets and she was left staring at air.

"Huh," she said in mild surprise. "I haven't seen anyone winnow in... a very long time."

"Winnow?" Gavriel asked from behind her. She spun around to face him as if she had forgotten he was there.

That sent a pang of pain through his chest.

"Yeah, winnowing," she replied with a kind smile. "That's what that's called, when he vanishes into a pocket realm and appears somewhere else. I haven't seen anyone else with that ability in... in almost 300 years. And certainly not anyone around here." Her smile dimmed to one of regret and nostalgia.

"We thought Fenrys was the only one... we would've known if..." His words fell flat every time he tried to say something useful, but he couldn't sort through all the questions in his mind. "Who _are_ you?" He finally settled on.

"You asked me that yesterday."

"And you didn't give me a real answer," he shot back. Maya's smile fell. Gavriel was slowly losing his patience with her little game and she could tell.

"Look I'm sorry," she said in a rare serious tone. "I know that I'm vague and mysterious and quite honestly all of the questions you have are probably really irritating to have, especially when I can't answer them. At least... not yet."

"Why not?"

"Because..." Maya's mouth stayed open for a few seconds before she finally snapped it shut in frustration. Gavriel could see the thoughts churning through her head as she tried to find the right phrasing. "Because I have to protect people who are... very important to me," she finally settled on.

It looked as though the words physically pained her and Gavriel wondered for a moment if she wasn't just choosy with her words but perhaps _bound_ by them.

"Maeve and Erawan may be gone, but you and I both know that there are constantly more players coming out of the woodwork," she said quickly. "I'm not mysterious just for the fun of it, believe me." Her voice took on a tone that he hadn't yet heard from her - one of authority and experience. "I have been to places you couldn't possibly imagine. Places where fae have powers you couldn't even dream of and I have met some of the most powerful H-"

Maya's words caught in her throat as she began to choke, falling to the very ground beneath her. Her hand came up to claw at her throat as Gavriel gripped her around the waist.

"Maya!"

He held onto her tightly, panicking slightly as he raised one hand to her throat to try and heal whatever seemed to be hurting her. When his skin met hers though his hand was sent reeling back as a sort of electric shock pushed him away. He hissed in pain, moving to try again.

"Don't," Maya spluttered, desperately trying to take in more breath. "Don't try to heal me, you'll only hurt yourself."

Gavriel could say nothing, only stare down at the female in his arms as she inhaled deeply, the color slowly returning to her face. He couldn't even process what questions to ask her in that moment because godsdammit _nothing made any sense_.

It did click in his head though that he had been right in suspecting that she was bound by her words. He had seen the same thing in a young demi-fae about a century ago. Maeve had sent him and Rowan out investigating a slew of fae on fae crime that had been escalating quite quickly. When they interrogated the demi-fae about where his leader was hiding out, the male had tried to tell them multiple times only to choke to death on his own words. He had been cursed, bound by his words to never reveal his leader's location lest he die in the process.

The same thing seemed to be happening to Maya, only on a seemingly larger scale.

"I'm sorry," she finally said after she took a few more deep breaths as Gavriel helped haul her to her feet. It didn't escape him that she had to lean on him far more than he expected.

How much would she have to try and say about her history in order to meet the same fate as the young demi-fae had? Gavriel winced internally as her realized he hoped he never found the answer.

"I'm sorry," Maya repeated. "I didn't mean to hurt you, I-"

"Does Aelin know?" Gavriel interrupted. "About the Word Bind?"

Maya hesitated, meeting his eyes before nodding. "She hasn't said it directly but I have a feeling she suspects."

Gavriel exhaled. "That's why she's okay with you telling us so little information. Because that's all you _can_ do."

Maya nodded again. "She wants to try and help me break it. But... that ship has long since sailed."

"There's no way to break it at all?" Gavriel asked incredulously. Maya only stared at him. "Ah, I see. You can't tell me that either."

Maya smiled sadly and it almost broke Gavriel's heart. "Believe me when I say that I'm sorry for all of the frustration I cause you and your court. I know that you have a million and one questions and I want to give you all of the answers, truly. I just-"

"Can't," Gavriel finished for her. "I understand. If Aelin doesn't tell the others, then I will. I know she likes to be vague and not include us in any of her own ridiculous plans, but I'd rather not have you getting killed by the rest of the cadre for something you can't control."

Maya scoffed, the light returning to her eyes. "As if they could."

Gavriel found himself smiling back at her, such a rarity for him. "I can't believe you threw Lorcan all the way across the field."

"He was being a prick, he deserved it."

"Well he might have been livid, but believe me when I say you earned his respect."

Maya smirked, quirking an eyebrow. "I know. That's why I did it."

Something familiar began to stir in Gavriel's chest, but he shoved it back down before it could show on his face.

"We should probably get back inside," he said softly. "I have a feeling our king and queen aren't too happy with one another right now."

Maya nodded. "I'll be there soon, go ahead without me." Gavriel looked at her in question. "I just... need a moment."

Gavriel hesitated, but eventually nodded back at her. It was only then that he realized that he still had a hand on her waist from when she had been choking. He jerked it away quickly, eyes wide as Maya only chuckled. He could feel the heat on his cheeks and cursed himself for acting like a godsdamned teenager.

"I'll see you inside then," he said quietly, bowing his head slightly and turning on his heel to retreat back to the castle and make sure Aelin and Rowan weren't killing each other.

Maya watched Gavriel leave, the smile on her face dropping with ever step he took, eyes caught on his rippling back muscles. As soon as he was inside the castle she turned back around and looked over the hills across the rest of Terrassen. Her teeth grit together and her eyes darkened.

She had almost gotten herself killed today from the Word Bind, a mistake she could excuse herself making 300 years ago but certainly not _now_.

But that male... _Gavriel_. Her word-bound secrets had never bothered her until now. Until him. And the rest of his court as well, but especially him. It was as if he saw right through her and she was desperate to tell him everything because of that. It didn't frighten her, she wanted more of that. She wanted to be vulnerable with someone and have them accept every piece of her and all of her secrets.

But she couldn't tell him anything and it was driving her insane.

 _Give it time_ , she told herself. _Be patient. Aelin is a good leader, she understands. And she'll help you find what you need to find. You've waited 300 years, you can wait a little bit longer._

"It won't be long now," she whispered to herself, hoping that her words would catch on the wind and travel to the world she so desperately missed. "I'm coming for you. I'm coming for you, Rhys."

* * *

 **A/N: WHOOPS IT LOOKS LIKE THIS JUST BECAME A CROSSOVER FIC**


	4. Chapter 4

**PART** **IV**

 _PRYTHIAN_

Rhys shot up in his bed with a breathless gasp, his chest constricting with complete terror. He shook his head, one of his hands pressing against his temple as his head pounded with each breath he took.

 _I'm coming for you, Rhys_.

"Rhys?" Feyre asked, sitting up and wrapping her arms around her mate's shoulders in an equal amount of panic. She could feel his terror across the bond. "Rhys what's wrong, what is it?"

Rhys could only groan in pain as he all but fell out of the bed, stumbling out of the room and towards his study. He could feel the pull on his magic, that all familiar pull he hadn't felt in... years. Centuries.

 _I'm coming for you, Rhys._

"Rhys!" Feyre shouted, jumping out of bed and hurrying after her mate.

He stumbled along the halls and all but ripped open the door to his study. Feyre was hot on his heels but he paid her no mind in this moment. He had to make the pounding stop, he had to make it _stop_.

 _I'm coming for you, Rhys_.

He was panting as he fell to the floor in front of his desk, his skull feeling like it was pulsing right out of his very skin. Feyre was right behind him, pulling at his bare shoulders, her hands sliding across the sweat pouring down his body now.

 _I'm coming for you, Rhys._

He ripped open the bottom right-hand drawer that only his magic had the power to open, yelling in pain as he got nearer and nearer what he was trying to find and his entire body felt like it was being ripped to shreds.

 _I'm coming for you, Rhys._

Reaching into the drawer he ripped out the false bottom in one smooth motion. He felt Feyre tense and go silent behind him. His labored breaths came faster with each passing second. He finally pulled out the box he was searching for, his magic screaming to just get his hands on it as quick as he could.

He pulled off the top of the small box and there it was.

The pendant was pulsing, its sapphire shining and dimming with each breath he took. He could feel her on the other side of it, he could hear her.

 _I'm coming for you, Rhys._

"Rhys," Feyre whispered behind him. "What is that? Why can I... feel it?"

Rhys looked over his shoulder and met his mate's eyes, his mouth floundering as he searched for the words. But there were some things he had kept from even his mate. Some things he and the Inner Circle just didn't talk about anymore.

Unable to find a decent response, Rhys simply turned back to the pendant. Slowly, with a wince, he reached forward and wrapped his hand around it.

 _I'm coming for you, Rhys._

Rhys gasped, his back arching as a vision of a female standing in front of a castle crossed his mind. Feyre's reaction matched his as she saw the same vision through their bond.

He had never seen the female before, her dark skin and black curls foreign to him. But her eyes... they were _her_ eyes.

Feyre and Rhys watched as she stared out across the foreign horizon and rolling green hills neither of them recognized, the female's hazel eyes darkening with determination.

"I'm coming for you, Rhys."

In a split second the vision was gone and Rhys and Feyre were yanked back to the present. They collapsed against one another, breathing heavily. The pounding in Rhys's head was finally gone.

"What... the hell was that?" Feyre finally asked incredulously.

Rhys didn't respond for a few moments before he started chuckling bitterly under his breath. He could feel Feyre's frustration across the bond and he didn't blame her.

He just couldn't believe it. It was her. The female in the vision didn't look like her, but it was _her_. He saw it in her eyes, he had heard it in her voice.

"Rhys who the _hell_ was that?" Feyre snapped, her anger finally reaching its tipping point. He felt her fingertips start to warm with Beron's fire where she gripped his biceps.

He finally looked over his shoulder at his mate, too many emotions written on his face and moving through the bond for her to sort through.

"That," he whispered hoarsely with a hint of a smile, "Was Maya."

Feyre was silent for a moment.

" _Who_?"

* * *

 _TERRASEN, ERILEA _

Maya took a deep breath, waiting on her magic to stir as she stared across the horizon. She waited for that familiar pull towards Prythian, towards Rhys, towards...

She released the breath. Nothing stirred in her blood. There wasn't a single trace of the magic she used to wield that connected her to her loved ones. She couldn't feel them at all.

It was utter silence.

The magic she wielded in this world, Erilea, was more powerful than she could comprehend sometimes and she was grateful for it. It's what had kept her alive after three centuries being away from her true home.

But it wasn't the magic she knew. The magic that connected her to those she missed more than anything, to her true court. Not the one she was pledging her allegiance to now.

A part of her felt guilty for what she was doing to Aelin's court. She was lying to them, claiming to be willing to give her full loyalty over to them for the sake of Terrasen, for the sake of Aelin and Rowan's court – for the sake of their family.

She knew what that was like. To have a court that doubled as your family, your friends, your closest allies and most loyal companions. That was the kind of court that she knew, that she was truly loyal to. And while Aelin was a good leader, a good queen... Maya wasn't loyal to her. Not wholeheartedly, she couldn't be. Because Erilea wasn't her home.

Aelin's court were good people. Strong people willing to do whatever it took to defend their home and their families and their friends.

And that's what made Maya feel the guiltiest.

But she would handle it. She would handle the guilt if that's what it took to get home. To get _back_.

So Maya would withhold information, she would lie, she would manipulate these people – these _good_ _people_ – into helping her get back home. Because 300 years had left her at the end of her rope. She was going home and Aelin and Rowan's court was her last hope for making it happen.

And until that happened...

She gazed back at where Gavriel had disappeared back inside the castle.

Until that happened, she would learn to live with the guilt.

xXxXx

"Excuse me."

Maya came to an abrupt stop as Elide stepped out in front of her just before she entered her chambers.

"Oh," Maya said in surprise. "Where did you even come f-"

"I heard that you launched Lorcan across a field today," Elide interrupted.

It wasn't very often that Maya became frightened. But this part-human, part-witch girl certainly frightened her.

"Well, I," Maya stumbled across her words. "I might have been showing off a bit with my magic. And to be fair he came after me first, I just moved quicker than him. My magic kind of has a mind of its own sometimes, so I-"

"It's fine," Elide interrupted yet again. Maya blanched.

"I'm sorry what?"

Elide only laughed. "Don't worry, my mate was fine. He'll need his ego stroked a bit later, but overall he's perfectly fine. I just wanted to let you know that he was very impressed. He'll never tell you to your face, so I figured I would do it for him."

"Oh. Well... that's nice? I guess?"

"You're welcome," Elide said with a kind smile that Maya had a feeling she had used more than once or twice to manipulate some gullible opponents. "I'll see you around."

"Okay. Bye," Maya said in confusion as Elide simply turned on her good ankle and made her way back down the hall.

At least now she didn't need to worry about Lorcan trying to kill her in her sleep.

"Maya!"

"By the Cauldron, does no one in this castle ever take a break?" Maya murmured inaudibly under her breath before turning around and meeting eyes with Fenrys. "Yes?"

"Aelin wants to see you," he said simply, jerking his chin as a signal for her to follow him.

Fenrys took off in long strides without another word, and Maya had to jog to catch up to him.

"Well your enthusiasm has certainly been curbed," she remarked. He only grunted. "You okay?" She asked in genuine concern.

"Do you expect me to be okay when my queen wants us to bring someone into our court who is literally incapable of sharing their secrets?"

Maya loosed a deep breath. "I take it Gavriel has already told you all about the Word Bind."

"Just a few minutes ago," Fenrys replied. He came to an abrupt stop, gently grabbing Maya's wrist for her to do the same. He met her eyes with a seriousness she gathered was quite rare for him. "Look I don't hold it against you, I know it's out of your control," he said softly. "But it's my duty to protect this court. How can I do that while letting someone in with a history we can never know?"

 _You can't_ , Maya thought to herself.

"You're just going to have to learn to trust me," she replied. "Give me a chance, let me prove to you that all I want is to serve Aelin and her court."

 _Lies – filthy, dirty lies_.

Fenrys stared at her so intently that Maya was afraid she may have said the words out loud.

"Fine," he eventually said. It took all of Maya's will not to let out a giant sigh of relief. "But if even for a moment I think that you're lying to us, that your secrets are ones that will put my court – my _family_ in danger... I'll kill you myself if Aelin or Rowan don't first."

For all of his swagger and overconfidence, Maya knew that Fenrys meant every word. And that's what scared her.

"If that happens," she forced herself to say, pulling her wrist from his grasp. "You can try."

There was a split second where Maya thought Fenrys would go for her throat right then and there. Her magic pulsed out, latching onto the stones of the castle and the ground far beneath her.

But then, surprising her, he laughed. A low chuckle followed by a shake of his head.

"You know I hate that I like you so much," he said in his normal tone of voice as he took a step back away from her. Maya reigned in her magic.

"The feeling is mutual," she shot back, making him laugh yet again.

If only he knew just _how_ _much_ she too hated that she liked him.

* * *

"What does the Word Bind feel like?" Aelin asked as Maya sat at the end of a table with the rest of the blood sworn sitting around her – including Connall this time.

"It feels like..." Maya searched for the right words. "Like a hand squeezing my lungs. Every time I start to speak about that which I am bound not to reveal, the hand squeezes tighter. If I refrain from revealing any relevant information in time, the hand releases me. Slowly. If I try to continue, even in my mind after I've actually begun to speak the words, the hand only continues to squeeze."

Gavriel's own hands shook underneath the table.

"And you're unable to tell us _who_ bound you?" Rowan asked.

Maya was silent.

"How about when you were originally bound?" Aedion followed up.

More silence.

The table huffed, Aedion and Rowan both leaning back in their seats with a sigh. This interrogation of sorts seemed pointless, and Maya herself was getting frustrated. They had been at this for about twenty minutes now. It seemed as though everyone was at a loss for relevant questions.

"The stories that you told," Gavriel suddenly spoke up. "Are they all true?"

Everyone's gaze flitted from Gavriel back to Maya. Her expression was unreadable, but her eyes never left his.

"Yes," she finally said simply. Gavriel's shoulders seemed to lose some of their tension. "And... no."

Everyone sat up a bit straighter. Gavriel could feel his heart beginning to sink.

"The stories are all technically true, and they all really happened" she said softly. "I have travelled all over Erilea and had many adventures. But all of those adventures were m-"

She cut herself off, craning her neck as the Word Bind began to itch at her throat.

"Stop, don't try to tell us if it's going to hurt you," Aelin said quickly. Maya met the queen's eyes and nodded.

Aelin was fierce, brutal, and passionate. But in the midst of all of that ferocity she was kind.

 _Even to a manipulative liar like me_ , Maya thought to herself.

"Gavriel," Aelin suddenly said, turning to the male. Everyone else's eyes followed. "Just before the Word Bind began to choke her when you were outside training, what did Maya say?"

Maya blanched, her eyes going wide.

"Will it hurt you if he says it?" Rowan asked, noting the female's expression.

"I..." Maya spluttered, "I don't think so."

"Well?" Aelin asked Gavriel once again. He kept his eyes trained on Maya though.

"She said... she said that she's been places where fae have powers we haven't seen before. She was cut off by the Word Bind before she could finish telling me what kind of powerful fae she meant."

Maya was trying to send a hundred signals into Gavriel's mind telling him not to say anything else. It's not as if she could very well get inside his mind, especially not in this world.

To be fair, she had never been a very good daemati in Prythian either.

"What the hell?" Connall cut in, glaring at Maya. "What do you mean fae we haven't seen before?"

"Well I can't very well tell you, can I?" Maya hissed. "Or haven't you been listening?"

"Aelin," Connall turned back to his queen, "When we were in Maeve's cadre, we saw the worst of the worst. Them more than Fenrys and I." He gestured to Gavriel, Lorcan and Rowan. "Don't you think we would know about these enemies?"

"How arrogant can you be?" Maya snapped, bringing everyone's attention back to her. The table went silent as power leaked from her very pores. "You think you're the strongest? The most knowledgeable in the world?" She paused, mulling over her words. "You know nothing. All that I know is still barely a drop in the ocean of the way magic works across-" She winced, stopping the thought before it could occur. "I know things about fae and magic that would make you _tremble_. Do not put yourself on a pedestal because it will only hurt all the worse when you fall."

A prenatural stillness settled across everyone at the table.

"Are you planning to bring us down?" Aelin suddenly asked.

"Of course not," Maya snapped. And she meant it. "I want to protect you all from the knowledge that I have. But since some of your blood sworn here are so damn _paranoid_ ," she loosed a growl in Connall's direction. "Maybe I shouldn't be here after all."

Maya stood up abruptly only for Aelin to grab her by the arm and yank her back down.

"Oh sit down and quit being dramatic. That's my job," she snapped. Maya looked at her with wide eyes. "Connall, shut your mouth and quit being a paranoid brute. And the rest of you..." She looked all around the table. "Maya is right. It's arrogant of us to think she's lying about there being more powerful fae in Erilea."

Maya hoped no one saw her wince at that.

Gavriel did.

"We can't possibly think that Maeve and Erawan would be the last of our enemies. We need Maya to-"

"I didn't say enemies," Maya interrupted.

"What?"

"I _didn't_ _say enemies_ ," Maya repeated slowly, with more emphasis. She stared into Aelin's eyes trying to say what she couldn't really say across the Word Bind.

"So... we're not in... danger from these fae you can't tell us about?" Rowan asked.

"Correct," Maya said quickly, jumping on the question she could actually answer.

This game she was playing was all about giving what she could in order to take what she needed. She could be somewhat truthful, give them just enough to convince them that she was truly on their side. And it wasn't that she was against them, she just... wasn't necessarily completely _for_ them.

"There are work arounds," Maya said. "With the Word Bind. I just... need to figure them out. And I will. I'm trying. You just have to give me time. And while I work on that, I want to serve your court."

A truth... and a lie.

"You know that I'm more than capable." She cut a glance to Lorcan who shifted in his seat. Aelin smirked. "You could always give me the blood oath and _make_ me loyal."

"That's not how we operate around here," Rowan said lowly.

 _I know_ , Maya thought to herself. _That's why I said it_.

"Then take a chance and trust me," Maya hissed, leaning across the table. "The more you sit around and talk about the what ifs is only going to make you more paranoid by the second. Either bring me into your court or kick my ass out. Whatever you do though just decide already because this game is getting tiring."

There it was. Maya put herself out there knowing this was her last hope. If they kicked her out... there's no telling what she would do. Bring down the whole castle perhaps. Or all of Erilea for all she knew. If she lost her final chance of getting home...

Aelin leaned into Rowan's chest as he whispered something in her ear. She pulled back a moment later and glared up at him. It looked as though they were having a silent conversation through their bond.

Finally, Rowan sighed and Aelin smiled, winking at him.

Maya didn't think she wanted to know what they had said to one another.

Aelin turned back to Maya. "The two weeks stipulation still holds. But... the accusations, the distrust... we'll do better. You'll have to forgive my court if they find this arrangement difficult at first. But... Rowan and I trust you."

Maya could have broken down in tears right then and there. She was one step closer to getting _home_.

"Thank you," Maya replied, genuine gratitude coating her voice. "I won't let you down."

 _Yes you will_ , her treacherous mind reminded her.

As Aelin turned to the rest of her blood sworn and basically told them off and set ground rules for Maya's presence, Maya met Gavriel's gaze once again and stiffened.

He might as well have been peering into her soul. Maya's heart stuttered, her guilt building and growing with every second that passed as he gently smiled at her.

She was going to break his heart. She already knew it. And she hated herself for it.

But she was going home no matter what.

She was going home no matter who got in her way.

* * *

 _PRYTHIAN_

"Where is Feyre?" Mor asked as she approached Rhys in the House of Wind. She had already been there when he arrived, and Azriel and Cassian were expected to be flying in with Amren soon.

"With her sisters in the town house," Rhys said quietly. "She is... upset with me at the moment." He sighed, sending a glimmer of apology and love down the bond. It was met with recognition, then silence.

"What did you do?" Mor snapped, her tone accusatory.

Rhys could barely meet her eyes. "I'll tell you when the others get here."

Mor looked like she wanted to snap back at him once again, but refrained when she caught his expression. He looked completely and totally distraught. Like the way a male should look when his mate finds out a secret that her mate and the rest of her court had been inadvertently keeping from her for years.

Minutes later, Azriel and Cassian flew in, the latter carrying Amren who stepped away from him the second his feet touched down.

"Where is Feyre?" She asked, her voice clipped and annoyed.

Rhys opened his mouth, but Mor beat him to it.

"She's mad at Rhys for whatever it is he's about to tell us, so she's staying with her sisters."

"Our High Lord and Lady bickering with one another? I'm shocked and appalled." Cassian snorted as he flopped down onto a chaise. Azriel shot him a look and he shrugged.

"Rhys," Amren said, her voice lower than before as she noted her High Lord's pained expression and dark eyes. "What is it?"

The others tensed as well as they all took note of Rhys's posture. He took in a deep, shaky breath, placing his head in his hands.

"Rhys," Azriel implored, stepping closer to his brother. The Shadowsinger's body tensed, ready to defend. "What's going on?"

"It's Maya," Rhys finally said hoarsely, looking up at his friends.

Mor gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. Cassian stood up to his feet in an instant, wings flaring wide behind him. Azriel went completely still, his shadows freezing with him. Amren seemed to radiate even more power.

"It's Maya," Rhys repeated. "She's alive. And I have no Cauldron-damned idea where she is."


	5. Chapter 5

**PART V**

 _PRYTHIAN _

_"_ _It's Maya," Rhys finally said hoarsely, looking up at his friends._

 _Mor gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. Cassian stood up to his feet in an instant, wings flaring wide behind him. Azriel went completely still, his shadows freezing with him. Amren seemed to radiate even more power._

 _"_ _It's Maya," Rhys repeated. "She's alive. And I have no Cauldron-damned idea where she is."_

Tell me this isn't some sort of sick joke," Mor whispered, her eyes lined with silver and her hands shaking.

"Do you think I would joke about this?" Rhys snapped at her, his darkness flaring alongside his temper. "You think I would joke about _her_?"

"That's impossible," Cassian jumped in, pacing across the room with his wings flared wide. "Maya is... dead. Lost. We all saw it happen."

"But what if we didn't?" Rhys stood abruptly. "What if she didn't die? What if when it happened she... went somewhere else? We just saw her vanish but we don't know where to."

"Rhys we searched the whole Caludron-damned world!" Cassian shouted. "You yourself said you couldn't feel a single trace of her anymore after we all saw her get ripped apart and thrown into the Mother knows where-"

"Cassian," Mor warned, her eyes catching Azriel's. His shadows had jumped back into motion and he was staring out into empty space.

Mor slowly but intentionally approached him and took his scarred hand in her own. He met her eyes and offered the briefest of nods to assure her that he was alright before looking back over at Rhys.

"What evidence do you have?" Azriel asked lowly.

Rhys inhaled a shaky breath. "I saw her," he whispered. "I heard her voice in the middle of the night out of nowhere, and I felt like my body was being ripped to shreds." The Inner Circle was completely silent as he gathered his thoughts. "I could feel her magic all over again, I could feel _her_. And then suddenly I was pulling out the pendant-"

"Rhys!" Mor exclaimed.

"Are you insane?" Cassian hissed, stepping closer to his brother. "You could've gotten yourself killed."

"I had to," Rhys snapped back at them. "I didn't have another choice, and then when I touched the pendant I... I saw her."

"Where?" Amren asked abruptly, her tone more serious than any of them had heard in a long time.

"I-I don't know. I've never seen the place before. But she... she wasn't in her body. She looked like someone else, but her eyes were the same. And her voice. I heard her."

"What did she say?" Cassian asked.

Rhys paused for a moment, his eyes glazing over.

"She said, 'I'm coming for you, Rhys,'" he finally whispered.

A tense silence fell over the group. No one spoke for several moments, mulling over this new knowledge that Maya was _alive_.

"Three centuries," Rhys finally said. "Three centuries I've been convinced she was dead. I stopped looking for her."

"We all did," Mor cut in, moving away from Azriel to sit next to her cousin.

"Now I have a mate who won't speak to me, a court to run, and I have no Cauldron-damned idea how to get to my-"

"Stop it," Amren hissed suddenly. Everyone froze as she stalked towards Rhys and grabbed him hard by the chin to force him to look at her. "Stop it. Maya is alive and instead of trying to find a way to get to her you're whining over yourself. Deal with your emotions _after_ we find her."

Rhys tensed, and everyone else in the room readied themselves to either attack or run away, they didn't quite know.

Finally after a moment though, Rhys loosed a breath and nodded. Amren huffed, yanking her perfectly manicured hand away.

"You say she was in a new body," Amren stated bluntly. Rhys nodded. "That means she was made new. That only happens of its own accord without outside magic when someone is thrown from one world to another. Case in point." She gestured to herself.

"Another world?" Cassian asked incredulously. "You're saying that when she tried to winnow holding that... _thing_ it sent her to where you're from?"

"That is highly unlikely," Amren deadpanned. "There are more worlds than you could dream of, boy." Cassian bristled but she trudged on. "The more likely explanation is that she ended up in a world similar enough to our own that she survived the journey. When you saw her, was she fae?"

Rhys hesitated, then nodded. "Yes. And she was strong."

The corners of Azriel's lips twitched upwards.

"If that pendant threw her across realms then it means there's a matching one in whatever world she landed," Amren explained. "If you were able to see her then she's close to the pendant she needs to get back."

"There's two of those things?" Cassian snarled.

Amren ignored him. "If any of us are close to the pendant in this world while she is close to the matching pendant in her world, we may be able to sense her whenever she's trying to reach out to us."

"Can we reach out to her?" Mor asked.

"It's possible."

"Well then what the hell are we waiting for?" Mor shouted, standing up abruptly.

"Wait," Rhys grabbed her arm and pulled her back down. Mor huffed and turned to him incredulously. "When she reached out to me I thought my head was going to explode. The only thing that made the pain go away was touching the pendant. If Maya isn't anywhere near the pendant in her own realm then we may very well kill her by trying to connect to her."

Mor froze, mouth parting slightly. She looked back up at Amren. "So what do we do?"

"We wait," Amren replied bluntly. "We wait for her to reach out to us again and try to push something back while the connection still lies open. In the meantime you need to explain things to your mate." Rhys winced. "We can't do anything until Maya initiates the connection again."

They all looked at one another with varying expressions of pain.

"We'll get her back," Azriel said quietly, darkly, breaking the silence. "We'll get her back.

* * *

 _TERRASEN, ERILEA_

"So... say you wanted to start a tsunami," Aelin said suddenly as she pulled out yet another dress from her massive closet. She held it up against her chest and admired herself in the mirror for a moment before whirling back around on Maya. "Could you do that? With your weird earth powers?"

"I suppose I could." Maya shrugged from where she lay across Aelin's bed alongside Lysandra. "If I started a big enough earthquake on the sea floor. I think it would be more difficult the further I got out to sea though. Maybe from the shore."

"What about volcanoes?" Lysandra piped up. "Can you control those? Maybe stop an eruption?"

"Or start one," Aelin added with a grin.

Maya chuckled. "Magma and lava is just molten earth. I can control it, but it's... messier. Aelin would most likely be more adept at that than I would."

"I'm adept at a lot of things," Aelin said with a wink over her shoulder, making the girls laugh. "Here. What do you guys think of this one?"

Aelin held up a blood red dress that looked as though it would hug every curve of hers sinfully, with a deep plunge in the neckline.

And in that moment Maya was reminded so much of Mor that a physical pain gripped her chest and it took all she had not to gasp.

"Perfect," Lysandra noted, neither of the girls seeing the way that Maya's face had slightly paled.

"They won't know what to do with you," Maya squeaked out.

Aelin quirked a perfect brow. "They never do."

Again, that was something that Mor would say. Maya could practically hear her right now, speaking in her mind, telling her how much she missed her, telling her to come home, to-

Pushing the voice out of her mind, Maya refocused on the ladies in front of her.

It had been three days since Aelin had officially declared Maya member of her court – but not a blood sworn. Not yet. And if Maya could help it, she wouldn't even _have_ to take the blood oath as long as she got the information she needed before Aelin offered the oath itself.

 _Manipulative little liar_ , her mind whispered to her. She ignored that too.

"What do you think, Maya?"

Maya snapped her head up to see Aelin and Lysandra watching her expectantly.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Don't you think Aelin and Rowan should have a _real_ wedding ceremony now that things are peaceful?" Lysandra asked, nudging the girl's shoulder and giving her a look that said, _you better say yes_.

"Oh," Maya deadpanned. "Um, sure. I think that would be fun."

Aelin snorted. "Liar. But regardless, dearest Lysandra, that would be up to Rowan. You know I love a good party where I get to be the dazzling center of attention, but my mate is typically not a fan of such."

"When do he and the others get back?" Maya asked.

Aelin rolled her eyes, putting the dress back into her closet. "They should have returned from seeing Darrow yesterday. I feel sure that the old prick kept Rowan and Aedion and Gavriel longer just to piss me off."

"Sounds like a real pain in the ass."

"You have no idea," Aelin grumbled.

The girls began to chat amongst one another and Maya interjected here and there, but her thoughts were elsewhere. She had been in Aelin's home for four days now and still had absolutely no idea how to even approach the subject of cross-world travel. It sounded ridiculous in her head and she had _experienced_ it. There was no telling what Aelin would say.

And of course there was the issue of the Wyrd Gates. Maya knew of them, knew what they entailed. But the Wyrd Gates in this world were... fickle. They weren't specific, and if Maya tried to open one back to Prythian she might end up somewhere completely different. That route was far too dangerous.

No, all of her research and the people she had spoken to across Erilea said that her experience with the pendant brought her to Erilea _specifically_. And if she had arrived here without the pendant from Prythian, it meant that there was a matching one in this world that could take her back.

For 300 years she had been searching for that matching pendant and if it wasn't in Terrasen then it simply didn't exist. And that was unacceptable.

"I'm sure you've been to plenty of weddings, Maya," Aelin said suddenly. "Want to plan mine?"

Maya snorted loudly. "Um, no thank you. Surprisingly enough, I haven't been to that many weddings."

"Have you... ever been married?" Lysandra asked, narrowing her eyes at Maya.

Maya laughed. "It's okay, Lysandra. The Word Bind doesn't keep me from telling you _everything_ about myself. Not any of the juicy gossip anyways."

"Well?" Aelin plopped down on the bed as well, placing her chin in her hands. "Married? Children? Mated?"

"No, no, and-"

The room doors suddenly opened and Rowan, Aedion, and Gavriel grumbled their way in, their massive frames seeming to stifle the entire room.

Aelin squealed – _squealed_ – and jumped off the bed, throwing herself at Rowan. He caught her effortlessly and Lysandra and Maya just glanced at one another before promptly exiting the room with Gavriel and Aedion following.

They made sure to shut the door behind them.

"So?" Lysandra looked up at Aedion, taking his hand in her own. "How was it?"

"Terrible and miserable," the male grumbled. "Can we just go to our chambers?"

Maya chuckled. "I guess we'll see you two later as well?"

Lysandra only winked at her, dragging Aedion off as he gave his father a brief nod.

"Is it always like that when they get back?" Maya looked up at Gavriel, noting the dark circles under his eyes. It must have been a rough visit indeed.

Gavriel huffed. "Yes. They all act like gods damned teenagers if they're apart for more than a day."

Maya laughed loudly, amused by his grumbly attitude that she hadn't seen in him yet. Gavriel's lips tilted upwards at the corners despite himself.

Deep down in Maya's chest, a stirring had her looking up at Gavriel. He was staring at her intently, smiling in a way that had her guessing that he didn't even realize he was smiling at all.

 _This is your way in_ , her mind whispered _. Ask him. Use him_.

 _No_.

"Are you alright?" Gavriel suddenly asked. Maya blinked up at him.

"Yes, of course. Just..."

 _Don't do it._

 _Do it._

"Is there a library around here?"

Gavriel snorted. "A library? Aelin hasn't shown you?" Maya shook her head. "Follow me."

Gavriel took Maya's hand gently in his own, surprising both her and himself with his boldness. He led her throughout various corridors and down a set of stairs. The further they got the more fae – and humans, Maya noted in shock – milled about. They eventually arrived at a set of massive wooden double doors.

"One of Aelin's first decrees as Queen after Erawan and Maeve were destroyed was to consolidate all of Terrasen's libraries," Gavriel said in a hushed voice. "Most of the libraries across all of Erilea had been burned, but none more so than in Terrasen."

Gavriel's eyes darkened momentarily and Maya wondered briefly if he had played a part in the book burning while under Maeve's control.

"When Aelin became Queen though," he continued, "Hundreds of fae and humans alike came forward with the books they had hidden from Maeve and Erawan's forces. We still lost a great deal of information, but after we pulled everything together..."

Gavriel pushed the double doors open and Maya gasped.

Books upon books upon books. There were more shelves than she could possibly dream of counting. There were countless reading nooks all over the giant room filled with natural light streaming in through the massive windows.

Maya felt like she couldn't breathe. It was beautiful.

"The library is open to anyone," Gavriel whispered over Maya's shoulder, his breath warming her ear and making her toes curl.

 _Stop that_ , she told herself.

"Just don't try to take any books off the castle grounds," Gavriel added seriously. "Or Aelin might set you on fire."

"I believe it," Maya said breathlessly, still captivated by the sheer beauty of the room. She could feel Gavriel's stare and pointedly ignored the way her gut seemed to drop at the sheer intensity of his gaze.

"Can I read... any of these?" She asked quietly, looking over his shoulder and meeting his honey golden eyes.

"Anything you want," he whispered.

"Thank you," Maya said, her voice thick with gratitude. "This is... perfect."

 _Yes_ , that voice in the back of her mind whispered. _Thank you. If there's any information on the pendant to be found, it's here_.

Gavriel cleared his throat awkwardly, taking a step back from Maya as he realized how close they were.

"What exactly is it you're looking for?" Gavriel asked, strolling further into the library with Maya on his heels.

 _A world-crossing pendant given to me by one of the vilest creatures you could ever imagine._

"I'd like to read up on some of the early history of Erilea," Maya said softly, smiling at the various readers sitting about the library. "Maybe there's something that could explain my unique powers. I don't know of any gods or goddesses that may have blessed me, but... maybe the old gods..."

 _Liar, they aren't even your gods._

"There's an entire section on ancient Erilean history," Gavriel whispered, jerking his head for her to follow him up a narrow spiral staircase.

They made their way up to the second floor of the library and back, back, back further away from everyone else. The air became mustier as they left the window-lit sections.

"This is where the oldest books are kept," Gavriel said quietly, slowing to let Maya match his stride. "If there's any ancient history to be found... it'll be here."

They paused at a cross section with four short selves that paled in comparison to the massive bookcases in the main sections. There may have been a total of one hundred books, if that. But the books were ancient, that was for sure. Maya could see it in the tattered pages and torn spines, but more than that she could feel it in her magic.

"Well I, uh... I need to go back and tell the others about Darrow," Gavriel said suddenly, breaking Maya out of yet another trance. She looked up at him with a kind smile and his heart stuttered. "If you need anything-"

"I know how to find you," Maya cut him off, nudging him with her shoulder.

Gavriel chuckled, looking down at his boots and giving her a pursed smile before turning on his heel to leave.

He paused when a soft hand wrapped around his wrist.

"Thank you," Maya whispered. "Thank you, Gavriel."

He could have died happy if the last word he ever heard was her saying his name.

"You're welcome, Maya."

He slipped away, immediately missing the warmth from her skin on his.

As soon as Gavriel rounded the corner, Maya's posture slumped. Where their skin touched may have sent warmth through her body the same as it had his, but her bones had never felt colder.

 _You have to do this_ , she told herself. _You have to get home. You have to get back to your family._

The troublesome part was that Aelin's court was starting to feel like family, too.

* * *

 _PRYTHIAN_

"I thought that I knew all of your secrets," Feyre said softly from where she leaned against the balcony jutted out from the House of Wind.

Rhys chuckled lowly beside her. "I'm over 500 years old, Feyre darling. I've forgotten some of my own secrets after all of this time."

Feyre shot him a glare and his laughter ceased almost immediately.

"I'm sorry," he said. "This is... painful for me."

Her gaze softened and she scooted closer to him, taking one of his hands in both of her own.

"Then let me help," she said softly. "Let me share the burden."

Rhys hesitated, his breath catching in his throat as he stared into Feyre's eyes. This was a burden she shouldn't _have_ to carry. A burden that had almost ripped his court apart 300 years ago. And now that there was hope – hope to get her _back_...

"Who is Maya?"

Rhys flinched at her name. Old habits would die hard.

"She was the girl in the vision we saw the other night, when you touched the pendant, wasn't she?" Feyre went on. "I've never seen her before. I've never seen that _place_ before." She paused. "But she said your name, Rhys. She said she was coming for you. What does that even mean? Is she an enemy?"

"No," Rhys said quickly, standing up to his full height and shaking his head. "No, never."

"Then who is she?" Feyre snapped, her temper flaring. It dimmed almost immediately though and she took a few steps away. Rhys went to reach for her but she whirled back to him and said, "I read something about mates the other day. About how... if a mate dies, sometimes the Mother will give them a _new_ mate." Her voice wobbled. "It's rare, but... well, so are you." She chuckled sadly, chewing on her lip. "Was she your... was she your mate, too?"

Rhys only stared.

"I have a feeling the place we saw wasn't in Prythian, or Hybern, or any continent we know," Feyre continued, her voice rising in pitch. "If she was your mate and got taken away somewhere else, the Mother could have given you a new mate, she could have given you... me." Rhys's expression was completely blank and Feyre laughed sadly. "Just say it, Rhys. Just say that she was your mate first."

Rhys was completely frozen to the spot, and Feyre wasn't sure he was even breathing.

And then...

And then he started to laugh.

It started out as a surprised snort, followed by a chuckle he was obviously trying to restrain. And then he was full out laughing hysterically, placing an arm on the balcony railing to support himself.

Feyre on the other hand was fuming, her own darkness swirling around her.

"Rhysand," she said lowly, the taste of ash on her tongue.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Feyre, darling," he spluttered out, approaching his fuming mate with a shit-eating grin on his face, his shoulders still shaking in laughter. He placed his hands on her cheeks and pressed his lips to hers chastely. "You are adorable, you know that?"

"I'm going to mist you in two seconds if you don't-"

"You are my only mate," he interrupted. All of the laughter was gone as he stared deep into her eyes. "I'm sorry if I upset you, that was just... well honestly that was probably the most ridiculous thing you could have ever come up with."

Feyre rolled her eyes, pinching his shoulder hard enough to hurt. He only chuckled.

"Not to mention that the thought of Maya being my mate is wildly wrong and obscene, and if she heard you guess that then she would have laughed herself hoarse too."

Rhys's gaze became nostalgic, and Feyre found herself enjoying the soft smile on his features that he only got when talking about his loved ones.

"Then who is she?" Feyre asked yet again. "Don't make me guess anything else stupid, please."

Rhys grinned, lacing his fingers through hers.

"Feyre darling, Maya is my aunt."


	6. Chapter 6

**PART VI**

 _PRYTHIAN _

_"_ _Then who is she?" Feyre asked yet again. "Don't make me guess anything else stupid, please."_

 _Rhys grinned, lacing his fingers through hers._

 _"_ _Feyre darling, Maya is my aunt._ "

"Your...aunt," Feyre repeated, looking up at Rhys as if he had just told her the sky was green.

"Yes. My mother's half-sister."

"What... how... Why have you never told me about her?" A flash of hurt crossed her face and Rhys's guilt doubled.

"Maya was-" Rhys winced. "Maya _is_...more than just some distant relative I saw once a year. She was as much of an integral part of my life as my mother was, much to my father's discontent."

Darkness rippled from Rhys's broad shoulders as he remembered the countless offenses his father had doled out in Maya's direction. The former High Lord had loathed Maya's influence in his son's life. No matter that she was his mate's sister and cared for Rhys more than he ever had.

"If she was your mother's sister then she was an Illyrian?" Feyre asked, all of the various puzzle pieces moving together in her mind.

Rhys nodded, smiling. "Half-Illyrian actually, like me. She and my mother had different fathers. Maya's father was a lesser faerie, but she'd be damned if that kept her from reveling in her Illyrian heritage." He laughed under his breath. "She was everything that an Illyrian should be. Azriel and Cassian are the Illyrians they are today because of her and my mother."

"She knew Cassian and Azriel?"

"Knew her?" Rhys laughed. "Maya helped raise Azriel, Cassian and I alongside my mother. Back then there weren't any rules about protecting female Illyrians like we try to maintain now. She and my mother were forced to be seamstresses for the camps. My mother dealt with it gracefully, she was trying to avoid being noticed by the camp leaders so she wouldn't get her wings clipped after all. But Maya? The camp lords hated her. She would hide throughout the camps and watch training sessions, replicating what she saw. Then as we three grew older, she would train with us at our cabin."

"I know that your father found your mother and their bond set in before her wings were cut, but..." Feyre hesitated, biting her lip. "Did Maya...?"

Rhys tensed, his hands tightening on Feyre's waist – his anchor to the present.

"Maya was centuries older than my mother. Her wings were clipped long before I was ever even born." Darkness danced across his violet eyes. "She used to tell us stories about flying when we were children. I bet she was magnificent."

Feyre let him be silent for a moment, to remember.

"But none of this makes sense," she finally spoke. "Why isn't she here? Why did we see the vision of her?"

"That wasn't her," Rhys snarled suddenly. He immediately soften when Feyre jumped. "What I mean is... that wasn't her real body."

"Rhys you can't keep being cryptic with this," Feyre finally snapped, pushing away from him and stalking to the edge of the balcony. She whirled around on him and crossed her arms. "Just tell me the whole damn story. From beginning to end."

Rhys took a deep breath, his hands shaking in such a rare expression of vulnerability – even in front of his mate.

He didn't want to tell this story. He didn't want to relive that day or that one choice he made that changed everything. He didn't want to remember the way he had felt nothing but air when he had reached for his aunt one second too late. He didn't want to relive the pain he had seen on his brother's faces when yet another of their mother figures was literally ripped away from them to her death.

No, not death. She hadn't died – he had to keep reminding himself that now.

Maya was still alive. She was out there somewhere and there was a chance to get her back. This story didn't have to have the terrible ending he had known for 300 years.

Calming his mind, Rhys closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them back up Feyre was looking at him expectantly, but not without empathy in her eyes.

"300 years ago," he began, his voice shaking. "I took my aunt to the Prison with me. And it was one of the worst mistakes of my life."

Feyre walked forward until she was chest-to-chest with Rhys.

"Show me," she said softly.

Rhys felt her mental shields drop enough for him to slip in and show her a memory if he wished. He took a deep breath, steeling himself as he took her hand in his own and squeezed gently before showing her one of his deepest regrets.

* * *

 _"_ _Tell me why I'm doing this again," Rhys muttered under his breath as he made his way up the mountain towards the Prison._

 _Feyre noted immediately from within the recesses of Rhys's memory that he looked so much... younger. He looked the same more or less except for the longer hair, but his eyes... they held less pain._

 _A bright laugh sounded from Rhys's left, and Feyre watched as he turned to look at the source of the sound._

 _The female looked startling similar to Rhys. Her golden brown skin shone under a thin layer of sweat from the mountain trek. Dark black hair swayed from a ponytail down her shoulders. The only notable difference in appearance was her eyes – bright hazel more similar to Azriel or Cassian's eyes than to Rhys's violet ones._

 _She was lean and muscled, that much was evident under her Illyrian leathers that matched Rhys's. Her body moved gracefully and every move she made was intentional and controlled._

 _"_ _You're doing this because I asked you to," the female remarked good naturedly, moving ahead of Rhys in one fluid motion. "And you wouldn't want to disappoint your dear old aunt now would you?"_

 _Rhys barked out a laugh, reaching the top alongside her._

 _"_ _Old is right." She smacked his arm and he only laughed again. "I'm only kidding dearest Maya, no need to resort to violence."_

 _"_ _Yeah, yeah," Maya muttered, looking up at the Prison entrance. "When you're 500 years old I'll be making fun of you too, just you wait."_

 _Rhys chuckled again and turned to her fully._

 _"_ _Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked, suddenly serious. Maya met his gaze. "You've never asked me to do this before so forgive me for being... concerned about this new coping mechanism."_

 _"_ _I can cope however I see fit," she replied softly, looking away from his intense stare. "My sister and niece died 200 years ago today. This is the first anniversary of their death I haven't wanted to rip someone apart."_

 _"_ _So instead of picking a fight with me or my brothers, you thought that the smarter idea would be to throw yourself into the most dangerous place in Prythian?"_

 _Maya rolled her eyes, placing her hands on her hips._

 _"_ _Please," she drawled. "It's not like I'm going to let any of the prisoners out. And I know that you hate it here and I didn't want you to come alone."_

 _Rhys's posture seemed to deflate._

 _"_ _It's what being a High Lord entails," he murmured._

 _He looked back over at Maya only for her to close her mouth just as she was about to say something. She smiled softly and loosed a breath._

 _"_ _Well lead the way, High Lord."_

 _Rhys rolled his eyes at the title before stepping forward. Feyre watched through his memories as he laid a hand on the rock face of the mountain and it vanished at his touch, revealing the entrance to the Prison._

 _Even with the knowledge of this being a recall of events that had already transpired, Feyre shivered as she watched the pair descend further and further into the Prison, darkness surrounding them._

 _Suddenly Rhys came to a stop and whirled only to be met with more darkness._

 _"_ _Maya," he whispered. "Maya!"_

 _Silence._

 _Feyre could feel Rhys's panic in the memory as he backtracked their steps, calling her name. Prisoners noticed him and began to stir which was_ not _good._

 _"_ _Guards!" Rhys shouted suddenly. He looked to his right as two of the guards that lived within the stone of the mountain emerged from the very rock itself. "Find my aunt," he commanded them in his High Lord voice that seemed to shake the entire mountain. The guards disappeared without a word._

 _The memory skipped forward in a flash to Rhys exiting the mountain, breathing heavily. Maya was already outside, her back to him as she stood completely and utterly still._

 _"_ _What the hell happened?" Rhys spluttered. "You disappeared, Maya! I told you to stay close to me!"_

 _"_ _I'm sorry," she said monotonously without turning around. "I got lost."_

 _"_ _You got... what?" He asked incredulously. His temper flared, darkness rippling from his shoulders. "Dammit Maya, you can't go and-"_

 _Rhys froze as he reached forward and spun his aunt around to face him. Her face was paler than he had ever seen before, her eyes wide and dilated. She looked like she had seen a ghost._

 _"_ _Maya," he whispered. "Did you speak to one of them? What happened?"_

 _"_ _Nothing," she said in that same monotone from before. "Nothing happened. Will you winnow us home?"_

Why is she lying _? Rhys thought to himself._ What the hell happened to her in there _?_

 _He decided not to press it further. He would take her home first and let her rest and recover from whatever she had seen or heard in that terrible place._

 _Maya didn't even try to give him a forced smile as he took her hand and winnowed them home._

 _The memory skipped once again to a new day. Rhys was in the House of Wind sitting with the Inner Circle, the sun streaming into the dining room. Everyone except Maya was present – Amren, Mor, Azriel, and Cassian._

 _Mor's hair was much shorter, Cassian was still covered in muscle but not nearly as hulking as Feyre knew him now, and Azriel's shadows lurched out in a way that told Feyre it had taken many centuries for him to control them alongside his emotions. They, as well as Rhys, all looked younger. Wilder, even though they were still centuries old._

 _Amren looked the exact same._

 _"_ _I have no idea what's going on with her," Rhys murmured. "Ever since I took her to the Prison she's been... different. On edge."_

 _"_ _She almost bit my head off in training the other day," Cassian said. "I've never seen her that vicious before."_

 _"_ _Her emotions are out of control," Azriel added in his midnight velvet voice._

 _"_ _Something happened to her in there and she won't tell me a damn thing." Rhys stood up abruptly, gazing out the open windows out across Velaris. "This isn't like Maya." He turned back to his family. "We have to do something."_

 _The memory skipped. It was now night, a cool breeze blowing into the same room. The glow of Velaris beneath them and the moon above them covered the room in a white shine._

 _Maya was present now, standing opposite Rhys and his Inner Circle._

 _This wasn't the same Maya that Feyre had seen at the beginning of Rhys's memory. She was different – off. Her posture was rigid where it had been relaxed before, her jaw tense as if she were gritting her teeth hard enough to hurt. Her eyes were ringed with dark circles as if she hadn't slept in days._

 _"_ _Maya we just want to help you, but we can't do that if you don't tell us what's wrong," Mor snapped. It seemed as though this conversation had been going on for a while and everyone was losing their patience._

 _"_ _Drop it, Mor," Maya snapped right back, baring her teeth. Azriel and Cassian both made the smallest step forward. "None of you know anything. What are any of you even_ doing _? You all sit around and make plans for winning this War but you're too damn afraid to do what needs to be done."_

 _"_ _And what would that be?" Amren asked in a tone that said she was bored but also highly annoyed from where laid across a chair meant for an Illyrian and their wings._

 _Maya's nostrils flared and in a jerky movement she reached into a hidden pocket in her laced tunic and pulled out a silver chain with a pulsing blue pendant on the end._

 _Amren jumped out of her seat so quickly it made the rest of the Inner Circle flinch. Maya simply stared, holding up the pendant with a grip so tight her knuckles turned white._

 _"_ _Give that to me," Amren hissed in a voice that was not of this world._

 _Maya only chuckled darkly, lowering her hand and gripping the pendant even tighter._

 _"_ _You fear what I can do with it," she seethed._

 _"_ _What is it?" Mor cut in, the only one unafraid to step between the two females._

 _"_ _I fear what it's making you do, you stupid girl," Amren fumed, completely ignoring Mor. "How idiotic can you be to take something from a prisoner?"_

 _"_ _He told me what I could do with it!" Maya screamed. "He told me how I could bring them back, how I could help us win this War!"_

 _"_ _You've made a deal with the devil."_

 _"_ _I'll_ become _the devil if that's what it takes to save us."_

 _"_ _This isn't you, Maya." Rhys finally stepped forward, holding his hands out. "Whatever that thing is, it's making you act like this. Just give it to Amren. She'll know what to do with it." Pain and genuine fear flashed across his features. "Let us help you, Maya," he whispered. "Please."_

 _Maya was silent for a moment. And then she started laughing – a low chuckle under her breath that sent chills throughout the room. The pendant's power pulsed through her, the blue of the sapphire brightening and dimming in time with her breathing._

 _"_ _Of course you want me to give the firedrake this treasure I've found," she finally whispered in a voice that wasn't her own. "Don't you get it, Rhys? I'm trying to protect you. This is what your mother and sister would have wanted-"_

 _"_ _Do not speak of them."_

 _"_ _They were my family too!"_

 _The pendant's power felt as though it were sucking the air out of the room, suffocating and stifling any other magic._

 _"_ _They were my family too," Maya repeated coldly. "And now you all are the only family that I have left and I'll be damned if I won't sell my soul to protect you."_

 _"_ _That creature was lying to you," Amren spat viciously. "Whatever promises it made to give you your family back or help you win the war, they were_ lies _. If you use that thing's power it will rip you to shreds and only make the thing that gave it to you stronger. Its life is tied to the pendant's use, don't play into its vile games."_

 _"_ _Games like you used to play when you were in the Prison?"_

 _Amren loosed an otherworldly growl, but made no move to step forward._

 _"_ _Hand me the pendant," she hissed. "Now. Let it go and you'll see what it's doing to you."_

 _Maya didn't move an inch._

 _With a deep breath, Azriel stepped forward. Mor reached for him but he slipped away from her hand as soon as it landed on his wrist. He stopped only three steps away from Maya._

 _"_ _Maya," he said softly, his shadows jumpy and erratic._

 _A single tear fell from Maya's hazel eyes as she stared at the Shadowsinger._

 _"_ _I have to do this," she whispered. "It told me-"_

 _"_ _It lied," he cut in calmly. "You don't have to let it control you."_

 _For the first time, Maya hesitated. It was clear that Azriel noticed and he took another step forward. The rest of the court held their breath. Within her own mind, Feyre could feel Rhys preparing to winnow in front of Maya and grab the pendant from her._

 _After what felt like minutes but was really only seconds, Maya loosed a breath. Azriel still stood in front of her calmly, his infinite patience never weaning._

 _Hesitantly, carefully, Maya took a single step forward. She and Azriel were only a step away from one another now. With trembling hands, Maya lifted the pendant out in front of her. Azriel matched her movements, extending his hand palm side up for her to drop the necklace into._

 _The metal of the chain clanked against itself as Maya's shaking hand held the pendant just over Azriel's shadow encased hand. Her fist was still holding the pendant in an iron-tight grip and her breathing was erratic and loud._

 _"_ _It's okay," Azriel whispered in a soothing tone. Maya's eyes shot up to meet his. In a rare display, Azriel smiled softly at her._

 _Suddenly Maya gasped, inhaling as if her life depended on it as she stumbled backwards away from him._

 _"_ _No!" She screamed, her hazel eyes almost entirely black. "No you don't understand!"_

 _Rhys growled and tried to winnow in front of her, but... couldn't. It was as if his magic had hit a brick wall._

 _A sort of darkness that wasn't anything Rhys had ever seen began to swirl around Maya, shoving the others backwards._

 _"_ _Maya!" He shouted._

 _But it was too late. She looked him in the eyes before mouthing the words, "I'm sorry."_

 _Rhys pushed through the dark winds ripping all around them, his heart dropping to his chest in absolute horror as Maya's body began to literally rip apart. Her skin seemed to disintegrate around her, ripping at the seams and pouring forth darkness that wasn't of their world._

 _Her screams were horrifying. Telling of a pain like no other, a pain that –_

* * *

Feyre gasped, reeling backwards against the balcony railing as she yanked herself out of the memory. Her breath came in and out erratically, light dancing around her eyes and screams from 300 years ago echoing in her mind.

When she looked up at Rhys, silent tears were streaming down his face. She felt nothing from him through the bond and she had a feeling he had closed it off to keep her from feeling the intense guilt he was feeling right then.

"Rhys," she whispered, walking towards him slowly and placing a hand on his cheek, wiping away his tears with her thumb. He didn't move. "Rhys... that wasn't your fault."

"I took her to the Prison," he snapped, meeting her eyes. "I took her to the Prison and let her get away from me. Whatever sort of creature she spoke to that day gave her that pendant on empty, vile promises and it drove her insane. And for 300 years I thought she was dead."

"But she's _not_."

"No, she's not. But we don't know where she is or if her mind is even the same. Maybe she's cruel now, maybe what that pendant did to her was permanent."

"She certainly didn't seem cruel in that vision," Feyre said gently.

Rhys met her eyes for a few silent seconds before finally loosing a breath, his posture relaxing as he leaned into her touch. Apology and melancholy and regret trickled down their bond.

"I'm sorry I never told you about her," he whispered. "After that happened, none of us knew what to do with ourselves. We thought she was gone. We thought we had failed her. We kept her memory alive as long as we could, but the pain... it was just too much. For all of us. We loved her so much. We still do."

Feyre ran her fingers through Rhys's hair as he rested his head in the crook of her shoulder. She sent comfort down the bond, letting him be silent for a few minutes.

"So how do we get her back?" She finally whispered.

Rhys lifted his head to meet his mate's eyes, mild surprise flitting across his gaze. Feyre smiled gently.

"Well you don't think I'm going to sit back while my mate and my court try to get back their family member without me, do you?" She asked teasingly.

Rhys only shook his head. "Feyre, what we have to do-"

"If she is your family," Feyre cut in. "Then she's my family, too. And your battles are my battles." She squeezed his hand. "We're in this together."

Rhys stared, squeezing her hand back as he finally smiled gently back at her.

"You're incredible," he whispered.

Feyre grinned. "I know. Now tell me what I have to do."

The smile immediately dropped.

"When Maya disappeared, she was transported to another world where the pendant she used has a matching set. That's where she was given the new body. When I received that vision, it's because she was trying to send a message to me – even if she didn't know it – while near the pendant in her world and I was near the pendant she left behind here."

"So the pendant is like... a conduit between our world and wherever Maya is now?"

"Exactly." Rhys nodded, taking a deep breath. "And the connection was, as you saw, was very tolling on me. The only way that pain ended and it didn't kill me the other night is because I grabbed the pendant here and made the connection manifest. I didn't realize it then, but that would have been an opportunity to try and push something back. But unfortunately, we don't know if Maya even realizes she's near the pendant in her world. So we can't risk sending her a message on our own otherwise we could kill her."

"So now you're just waiting on her to push something back to you?"

Rhys nodded again. "For the past couple days, we've all been trading off wearing the pendant since we don't know who she'll think of next. We just have to stick close to one another so we can grab it if we don't happen to be wearing it when she thinks of one of us."

"Rhys!" Feyre shouted, shock written all over her face. "That pendant drove Maya insane, and you're just wearing it casually?"

"We take shifts," he said calmly. "Wearing it in small bursts only makes us grumpy for a bit. Maya wore that thing for _weeks_ before finally snapping. And it's working! Mor pushed something back just today. She was shut out quickly, but... at least it shows the process works."

Feyre opened her mouth to say something, but closed it after a moment. Rhys ran his thumb across her wrist in a soothing motion. She looked up at him to see him staring distantly with a soft smile on his face.

"What is it?"

Rhys shook his head. "Nothing, nothing. It's just..." He hesitated. "I'm trying not to get my hopes up but... If we do get Maya back..." He looked down at his mate with pure love written across his face. "She's going to love you."

Feyre smiled back up at him, leaning up on her toes to hover her mouth above his.

"We'll get her back," she whispered before pressing her lips to his.


End file.
